Rewrite: Stronger than the Heroes
by dancerjay12
Summary: Rewrite! Dick and Ari were never adopted by Bruce Wayne. Kaldur never became Aqualad. Wally's experiment cost him any normality his life had. M'gann had to find her own way to Earth. Zatanna lost her father several years earlier to Dr. Fate. Raquel failed to convince Icon to be a hero. Jaime found the scarab before Ted died. Artemis lost her sister, father, and mother in one night.
1. Dick and Ari Grayson

**Haly's Circus, Gotham, June 23rd, 1997, 6:54 a.m.**

Mary Grayson was awakened early in the morning by a screaming baby. The only problem was, it wasn't her own.

Her own son, Richard Grayson, was still sound asleep in his crib. The three month year old didn't look like he was waking up anytime soon.

She frowned, pulling herself out of bed and following the sound of crying. She opened the door of their trailer, and saw what was left on the porch. Mary gasped, maternal instincts taking over and she scooped up the baby, instantly ceasing its cries.

"Mary? What's wrong?" John Grayson rubbed his eyes tiredly, but froze as he saw the baby girl in Mary's arms. "Please tell me that's not yours..."

"No!" Mary scolded him. "And hush, your son is still asleep. She was just left on the doorstep!"

John frowned and picked up the extra blankets the baby was left in. There was a note: _She's only two days old. Take care of her, please._

There was no signature and no name, neither from the sender nor of the baby.

John saw the look on his wife's face, and sighed. "We're keeping her, aren't we?"

"Of course!" She held the girl tighter.

"Mary, we just had Dickie. We can't handle another one-"

"But we can." A soft voice said. Richard and Karla Grayson had also woken up.

"Richard-" John began, ready to scold his brother for even suggesting it.

"John, you know Karla and I have wanted another child after little Johnny was born. But you heard the doctors, Karla can't get pregnant again..." Richard sighed, sadness clear in his eyes. "You two are still hung over with Dick. Karla and I already know how to take care of a child, and I'm sure Johnny will be happy to have a little sister. And Dick will be able to grow up with two cousins."

"Alright..." Mary bit her lip, knowing it was the right thing to do. She carefully transferred the sleeping girl to Karla, who smiled.

"Thank you, Mary." She said softly. "What's her name?"

John and Mary exchanged looks. "She didn't have a name. We're trying to think of one now."

"How about Ariadne?" a soft voice asked.

The four adults turned to see nine year old John Grayson. He was rubbing his eyes tiredly, but looked up at them innocently. "Mommy always tells me stories. I like the one with Princess Ariadne. You know, with The-thesaurus."

Richard chuckled. "You mean Theseus."

John nodded eagerly.

Karla's eyes sparkled. "I like that too. Welcome to the family, Ariadne Grayson."

* * *

**Nine Years Later**

**Gotham, April 1, 2006, 4:23 p.m.**

"_Why can't I perform the final act with you guys?_" Ari pouted.

"English, Ari." Her aunt reprimanded. Ari sighed, exasperated.

"Can I perform with you?"

"Sorry, shortie, you're not old enough!" John laughed, ruffling his little sister's hair. She scowled, fixing her hair and glaring at him.

"I wanna perform too!" Dick jumped out of nowhere.

"I started when I was thirteen." John pointed out, smirking.

Dick and Ari both stuck their tongues out at him.

Later that night, Dick questioned if it would have been better if they had performed with their family or not.

Nine years old Dick Grayson wrapped his arms around his little cousin, who was still in shock. Not that he blamed her, of course. She had not only lost her parents, but her older brother as well.

The cops were meanies, Ari had sniffed to him. She had fallen asleep, somehow, since then. Dick and Ari both had a very limited knowledge of English, but he was able to make out that the police and social services were taking them away.

At least a day later, the cousins had been separated and placed in the Gotham Detention Facility. The only time they actually saw each other was during lunch and laundry day. Dick was shoved into the walls and locked in closets, for being a circus kid and being unable to speak much English. Ari's teasing seemed endless. Her food was stolen and the only towel she had was taken.

It was another week before the cousins got cellmates. Dick's cellmate was a bit taller and older than him, but seemed just as, if not more, timid than him. He had short brown hair and big brown eyes with Hispanic features. Ari's cellmate was at least two years older with long, blonde hair and grey eyes. She had Vietnamese features and olive skin.

The boy, Jaime, spoke both Spanish and English. Artemis spoke mostly Vietnamese, but knew English, mostly from her dad.

During lunch one day, before their cellmates appeared, Ari had broken down crying to her cousin, sobbing about how she had caused their family's deaths.

"_Who told you that?_" Dick demanded, holding her by the shoulders. She sniffed.

"_Those girls..._"

"_But those girls aren't smart enough to count to ten, much less know what happened." _Dick said confidently, earning a small smile and a giggle from Ari. The eight year old brushed her hair out of her eyes and gave her cousin, practically brother, a grin.

"Thanks Dickie." She smiled.

Dick ruffled her hair, just like her brother used to. "No problem."


	2. Jaime Reyes

**Disclaimer: I do not own YJ or TT... I wish I did though...**

* * *

**Bold: Spanish**

_Italics: Scarab_

* * *

**El Paso, April 3rd 2006, 2:23 p.m.**

Jaime Reyes and his best friend Tye Longshadow were outside playing. The two eight-year-olds were running home from school, laughing as they passed through the city. The streets were pretty quiet, considering most people were at work.

Suddenly, as they walked outside a large corporate building labeled 'Kord Industries', an explosion knocked them off their feet.

The building had erupted. Flames stewed out of the top window.

"**What was that?!**" Tye screamed.

"**Don't know, ese.**" Jaime backed away. "**Look at that.**" he walked over, curiosity spiking as he walked closer to the mysterious object lying on the street. It hadn't been there before.

"**It could be dangerous,**" Tye said nervously.

Jaime ignored is best friend and picked up the scarab with interest. "**C'mon, Tye, we should call the police.**"

* * *

**El Paso, April 4th 2006, 8:34 a.m.**

Jaime woke up to a voice in his head.

'_readying laser canons. Unknown being in area. Destroy_.'

"Wait, what?" Jaime yelped. before he could do anything, full blown body armor covered his entire body. The blue armor seemingly came from nowhere. His arms transformed into these huge cannons and mechanical wings sprouted from his back.

Jaime was terrified. What was happening?! Suddenly, he couldn't control his own limbs. Jaime watched in horror as his body betrayed him. He watched helplessly as his body mercilessly took out his parents and little sister.

Upon seeing the sad look on the five year old's face, Jaime snapped and broke through the control. "STOP!"

Blindly, unable to see the faces of his late family, he took off, flying into the air. He made it all the way to a dark city with a sign the town 'Welcome to Gotham City'.

"**What did I do?"** Jaime whispered in horror, curling into a small ball with absolute terror.

_'I am Khaji Da_.' the voice said in his ear. _'I'm a scarab. The previous night, you found me and I attached myself onto your spine._'

"**Okay... can you please disarm**?" Jaime begged.

"_If someone were to attack us, we'd be prepared_."

"**No one's going to attack us..."**

"_You do not know that, Jaime_ _Reyes_."

"**Why did you kill my family**?"

"_They dangerous_."

"**My sister was five**!" Jaime screamed.

"_I see no relevance to age_."

Jaime wanted to scream. He had killed his family. It was all his fault.

"You! Kid!" an officer growled, appearing out of his car and gripping his shoulder tightly.

"**Can you help me?**" Jaime asked, seeing the police uniform.

The officer frowned, "No English, eh? No one's going to waste money on a translator."

Jaime looked at him blankly. He understood English better than he could speak. The officer, on the other hand, seemed to have no knowledge of Spanish. Jaime was dragged into the police car and taken into an old, scary building.

"All the orphanages are full," the cop said, chuckling darkly. "Don't worry, you'll be nice and cozy here."

"_Danger_!" Khaji warned.

"**NO**!" Jaime shouted, holding his arm and forcing the sonic canon back. He would not let him kill this man like his parents.

"What did you say?" the cop barked.

Jaime shrunk into his seat, falling silent while mentally glaring at the scarab. The cop shoved him into a dirty cell with another boy around his age. The boy had ebony black hair and bright, sapphire blue eyes. He had a bruise under his right eye and a cut on his forehead. He looked at Jaime with anticipation.

Jaime edged away from the boy. he didn't want to accidentally hurt him... or worse, be hurt by him. He looked like he got into plenty of fights.

"**Please don't hurt me.**" he blurted out.

The boy looked up, hopeful. "**I wouldn't hurt you.**"'

He spoke fluent Spanish? He didn't look Hispanic...

"**You speak Spanish?**" Jaime asked, eyes wide.

"**Yes, my mommy taught me.**" the boy's bottom lip trembled. He sniffled. "**We used to live in a circus. I can't speak English. I don't know what's going on here!"**

"I can teach you English." Jaime offered softly, "But I'm not very good at it..."

"Better than nothing." Dick declared, smiling at him.

"My name is Jaime," he said, realizing he hadn't told the boy his name.

"Richard. Call me Dick. I have a cousin named Ari. You can meet her tomorrow at breakfast!" Dick grinned. Jaime smiled back, forgetting for one moment about the voice from his spine.

'_Don't even think about it._' Jaime thought to the scarab, determined to protect his new friend.

The next day, Jaime and Dick sat at a table by themselves waiting for his sister. A girl with black hair and blue eyes walked up to them. She smiled at them, and turned to Dick and said something in another language. Dick introduced Jaime in Spanish and explained how he could teach them English.

Ari's eyes had lit up with absolute happiness, causing Jaime's cheeks to turn pink. It only burned even further when Ari happily hugged the boy.

"**Can I bring my new friend? She only speaks Vietnamese.**"

Dick and Jaime agreed readily. As they say, strength in numbers. Ari's cellmate had long blonde hair and grey eyes. Her skin was an olive color and she always glared at everyone. She relaxed a bit when she got to know them, so that was good.

The others were quick learners. They learned English faster than he did! He was happy for that, soon they'd all be fluent.

Jaime felt an excited adrenaline rush as they plotted and executed their escape. He felt a little guilty that they had included him into their plan, yet he still hadn't told them about the voice in his head. It made him feel weird, like he was different from everyone else.

As the others fell asleep in the woods, Jaime stared up at the sky, wondering how he'd say it. Just come right out and say it? That might cause a slight shock.

The next day, the four kids walked through the woods, heading towards the city, where they'd hopefully be able to get something to eat. Jaime swallowed, trying to work up the courage to tell his friends the truth.

"Guys, I need to tell you something." Jaime finally blurted out.

Two pairs of blue eyes and a pair of grey eyes turned to him. "Yeah, Jaime?" Ari asked, brushing a strand of her hair back.

"I- uh- wanted to tell you guys a secret." Jaime's eyes turned downcast, "A week ago, my friend and I were walking home from school. Then there was this HUGE explosion-" Jaime made hand gestures to emphasize the blast, "-and the next thing I know, there's this blue thing on the road. I took it home, and overnight, this happened." Jaime rolled his shirt up and turned around. After a few moments, he turned back around, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Artemis asked.

"I-I didn't want to scare you." Jaime mumbled, "This thing, it talks to me. When I woke up, the scariest thing happened. This blue metal covered me and it-" his eyes welled in tears, "I killed my parents and sister."

There was a silence. Jaime's eyes stayed locked on the ground. Out of nowhere, he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. He looked up to see the blue orbs that was Ari. She gave him a soft smile. "You're still Jaime. It wasn't your fault. You couldn't control it."

"Yeah," Artemis said, and realized something. "You can control it now, right?"

Jaime blinked. He hadn't realized it, but she was right. The thing- whatever it was- wasn't trying to attack anyone. He had controlled it.

"And it's super cool! You have like superpowers now!" Dick added brightly, bringing a smile to Jaime's face.

"Thanks, guys." Jaime said softly, grateful.

Artemis smiled ever so slightly and slung an arm around his shoulder, "We're family now, right?"

Jaime grinned back, "Right."


	3. Artemis Crock

**Disclaimer: I do not own YJ or TT... I wish I did though...**

* * *

**Bold: Vietnamese**

_Italics: Romanian_

* * *

**Crime Alley, Gotham, April 2nd, 2006, 8:20 p.m.**

Artemis stuffed her face inside her pillow, trying to drown out the sounds of her parents arguing.

"C'mon, sis, stop being such a baby." Jade poked her sister, "They always argue. I don't know why you haven't gotten used to it already."

"-only eight!" Paula's voice echoed through the small apartment. "How dare you even consider dragging our baby girl into the field already?!"

"Jade was her age when she went on her first mission," Lawrence argued. "If it makes you feel any better, you can watch her!"

"She's not going!"

"Yes, she is, Paula!" Lawrence roared, with such finality that their argument ended.

There was a silence.

"Fine." Paula's voice was so quiet, the girls could barely hear her. "But I swear, if something happens to Artemis, there will be hell to pay." the sound of a door being slammed was the last thing they heard.

"Look, little sis, rumor has it that their little mission is going to be busted by the Bat. I'm not being apart of that." Jade smirked.

"But- Dad- he'll make you anyways." Artemis protested softly.

"Not if he can't catch me." She winked at her, standing up and taking a black duffle bag out from under her bed.

"What- Jade, he'll come after you!"

"Let him." She said simply, "I'll disappear, like the Cheshire cat." She placed a black cap over her head after she finished packing. "I'd let you come with me, but you'd just slow me down. And a piece of advice, I'd get out here too."

Artemis gripped the edges of her bow, the one Daddy Dearest had gotten her. "Someone has to stay here and help Mom. She'll be sad when you leave."

Jade narrowed her eyes, and shook her head, "Haven't you realized yet? In this family, it's every girl for herself." she shut the door, leaving Artemis in the darkened room by herself.

* * *

**Crime Alley, April 2nd, 2006, 10:45 p.m.**

Artemis' father hadn't been happy upon discovering his oldest was gone. He interrogated Artemis, shouting and demanding to know where she was. Artemis shrunk back, grey eyes wide with terror, as she whimpered out the truth: she didn't know.

Paula wrapped her arms around Artemis, scowling as he glared at her husband. She was dressed in her orange and red Huntress uniform. Artemis was clad in her orange and black Tigress costume. When her father first showed her the outfit, she had gagged upon seeing the colors. She preferred green or silver, to be honest.

They were waiting outside a building while Sportsmaster went inside, doing lord-knows-what. Huntress and Tigress waited on the roof of the three-story house. Artemis looked down to the roads. It was a good thirty-six feet down. Were someone to fall, they'd be lucky to just be crippled.

"Bringing children into crime." A dark voice said coldly.

"Jeez, how much more evil are you going to become?" a lighter voice complained. Artemis turned around to see Batman and Green Arrow.

Artemis screamed in terror as her mother was thrown across the roof.

"Where is Sportsmaster?" Batman demanded.

"Why would I tell you?" Huntress spat, pushing herself up. Batman narrowed his eyes and leaned into Huntress, growling something inaudible to Artemis.

"C'mon, kid, let's get you home." Green Arrow picked her up. The shock wore off, and Artemis' training kicked in. She kicked the archer in the stomach, causing him to drop her. Green Arrow muttered a few curses and swear words, some that even Artemis hadn't heard before. She drew her bow and fired an arrow, hitting the Emerald Archer in the shoulder. He swore again as he plucked the sharpened arrow out of his shoulder.

"Dammit, kid!" he glared at her, "No more Mr. Nice Guy." he notched an arrow and fired. Artemis dodged to the side. The next few moments were suddenly in slow motion. Artemis' head snapped towards her mother, as she recognized the scream. Her mother plummeted off the roof of the three-story building and into the front yard.

Artemis stood, frozen with a look of shock and fear. Batman, on the other hand, was unfazed and took the opportunity to handcuff Artemis. Police sirens echoed through the night.

"Bats, we can't just leave her." Green Arrow said.

"Would you rather be taken into custody for simply wearing a mask and being a vigilante?" He growled.

"Can't Gordon-"

"On holiday. Good luck getting the other cops to let you go." Batman turned around briskly and disappeared into the shadows. Green Arrow glanced at the panicking Artemis before following Batman.

Paula, after being given medical treatment, was declared paralyzed from the waist down. For her crimes, she would get ten years in prison with no chance of parole. Artemis, having been an adolescent, would have been let go, if she hadn't lost her temper and nearly killed the opposing lawyers. That got her into Gotham Juvenile Detention Center. It may also be the fact that none of them could get ahold of her father. For some reason, she couldn't speak English. It was strange, she could understand, but not speak. The people there said something about the trauma of seeing her mother fall caused her to forget how to speak English.

* * *

**Gotham Juvenile Detention Center, April 3rd 2006, 8:23 a.m.**

Her cellmate was a young girl, maybe two years younger than she was. She was short and thin, with black hair and blue eyes.

"_I'm Ari_." she said softly. Artemis looked at her suspiciously, before finally letting her guard down. This girl didn't seem to be a Gothamite... she didn't even seem American, clearly not being able to speak English. Though, it didn't take a genius to decipher what she meant.

"**Artemis**." she replied. "**I'm eleven**."

The girl looks surprised, but speaks in the same language as her. "**I'm almost nine**." Ari added. "**In June**."

The two girls talked softly. Artemis had always been taught to trust no one, but somehow, she felt she could open up to her. Ari was the kind of little girl who was always going to be sweet, like a little sister. Did Jade see her that way? She didn't tell her about the villainy in her family; that might scare Ari away, her only friend.

She was surprised to hear her say that her cousin was here two, only a few months older than her. The boy had apparently made a friend, who could speak English and Spanish. They three learned together. As memories of her second language kicked in, Artemis helped Dick and Ari. The two were surprisingly fast learners. They later explained that they were born and raised in a worldwide circus. They travelled everywhere, so they learned several language. Though, it was the first year they were in America.

* * *

**Gotham, April 8th 2006, 10:28 a.m.**

After they escaped, she felt bad for Jaime. He admitted his greatest secret to them. He trusted them; he trusted _her_. Right then and there, Artemis wanted to blurt out her bad DNA. But she couldn't. What Jaime did wasn't his fault. He couldn't control it. But Artemis had chosen to follow her father. She could have been more like Jade. She could have run away too. But she was too scared.

So she kept quiet. She reassured Jaime that he was still Jaime, and nothing would change that. The four of them smiled at each other, albeit Artemis a little guiltily.

"So, what's that thingie saying now?" Ari asked.

Jaime paused, "Well, he said to tell 'the weak human' that his name is Khaji Da, not 'thingie'."

Upon seeing Ari's rather insulted look, he shrugged and raised his arm in surrender. "His words, not mine - you are a guy, right?" he muttered the last part.

Dick raised his eyebrows. "Okay, we should probably go looking for something to eat. Watch this." He slipped into the streets of the city and towards some street vendors. Ari disappeared after him. Artemis and Jaime shrugged before following them in suit.

"Distract him." Dick whispered, pointing to the man in front of the fruit stand.

Ari nodded and walked up to the man, pulling her hood over her head, "Sir! That man over there just stole your watermelon!" she exclaimed.

The vendor looked to see where she was pointing. His expression turned furious as he chased him down the street.

"Pig out." Dick said, holding open a bag. Ari, Artemis, and Jaime piled the bag with apples, strawberries, blueberries, and grapes before escaping. Being caught by the vendor was not on their to-do-list. No one paid the four children mind. Orphans stealing food was not unheard of or uncommon in Gotham.

"I hope you realize we're going to need more than a few fruit to survive." Artemis said snarkily.

Dick rolled his eyes, but smiled, "Of course. We'll be fine, though."

"Of course." Jaime agreed, laughing.

"We should find an abandoned building to stay at." Artemis said, being the one with the most knowledge of Gotham. "Shouldn't be too hard."

After barely a half hour of searching, they found an old building and climbed the stairs to the top floor; the penthouse. It was surprisingly nice, though the faucets didn't work, perhaps why the building was abandoned in the first place.

There was a small kitchen, two bathrooms, and four bedrooms with a bunk bed in each room. Pretty convenient... There was a living room and a dining room, but only had a couch and a table with no chairs.

"That suck." Ari pouted as she notice the lack of chairs at the table.

"We could sell the table." Jaime suggested, "Eat in the kitchen."

"As good as that idea is, somehow I doubt anyone would buy a table from a few kids." Dick muttered.

"You'd be surprised." Artemis said slowly.

"Let's talk about a bigger problem; how would we get it downstairs?" Ari countered.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... yeah, that might cause a problem."

* * *

**Okay guys, I know I said I already have OC's for my story. But I'm in need of a few oc's. Preferrably young, like, 6-12 years old maybe, and preferably metas. Since I'm not putting in the batkids in the rewrite (For now, anyways ;), I still need something in Africa. I decided I'd move a few teams around, and put the training center in the Actic (cuz the cold is awesome like that) Therefore, I need a few younger kids to be apart of the training program, and I also need a few older kids (15-18) to be running the program. Please fill out this form:**

** Name:**

** Code Name:**

** Age:**

** Gender:**

** Powers:**

** Costume:**

** Abilities/Weapons:**

** Past (Details are you best friend!):**

** Personality:**

** Reason to join the training program:**

** Appearance:**

** Other:**

** I might forget something and I might ask you questions on your character as well, therefore I may PM questions to you. If you're a guest, _PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE _make sure you put in as many details possible, because I will not be able to contact you for questions and will therefore be unable to use your character, which I really want to use!**


	4. Wally West

**I'm really sorry for the wait. I had every single detail down on a flashdrive, which crashed, and not in a good way. I'm so moded right now. I've gotta try to recover all the data I lost, and keep writing chapters. Hope you enjoy this one!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own YJ or TT... I wish I did though...**

**Bold = Speed translation**

* * *

**Blue Valley City Hospital, November 11th 1995, 3:45 p.m.**

"I'm sorry, Mr. West." the doctor said grimly. "She didn't make it."

Rudolph West stared at his late wife with a mixture of sadness and anger. Why his wife? All she had done was bring their child to the world. He held the baby in his arms, and saw a little tuft of red hair on his head. The baby's eyes opened, revealing bright, emerald like eyes. The boy looked just like his wife...

"What would you like to name him, sir?"

Rudolph blinked back tears and swallowed thickly, "She wanted to name him... Wallace. Wally Rudolph West."

* * *

**Central City, March 18th 2006, 11:56 p.m.**

Wallace 'Wally' West grew up with his father in Central City. His father couldn't bear living in the same place as Mary did, so they moved to Central, their sister city.

Wally's aunt Iris lived there as well. She had recently married Barry Allen. Wally, now nine years old, decided immediately that he liked this man. He was someone that was always relaxed and friendly. Kind of like the Flash, who was Wally's role model.

His father was currently on a business trip to Star City and would be back in a couple days. While away, Wally was staying at his aunt and uncle's place. A few hours previously, while he was supposed to be in bed, he was sitting in the living room with the TV on. He had fallen asleep briefly, until the sound of a door closing woke him up.

He carefully cracked an eye open and nearly had a heart attack at the sight of the person at the door. Although it was dark, the bright light emitting from the TV still caught the bright, eye popping red of the Scarlet Speedster.

The Flash looked around and spotted him on the couch. Wally carefully evened out his breathing to the best of his ability, but kept his eye as wide as he dared. Flash smiled and pulled his cowl down. Wally was nearly scared out of his wits when he recognized the familiar blonde hair and friendly face.

His uncle was the Flash.

His heart thumped excitedly in his chest, so loud he was almost sure Barry- Flash- whatever, could hear. Flash picked Wally up and walked up the stairs to his room, gently laying him on his bed and tucking him in. Barry chuckled softly, probably upon seeing Wally's red and lightning bolt pj's.

After he was sure Barry had left the room, Wally pushed the covers off his body and crept to the door. His heart raced, and he couldn't stop the grin from being etched onto his face as he tiptoed past Barry and Iris' bedroom and into Barry's study.

At home, Wally's hobby was collecting newspaper articles and interviews about the Flash. He recalled that in one interview, Flash himself had revealed that he had gotten his powers in an accident involving chemicals. He didn't list the chemicals involved, but he did say he kept track of which chemicals were involved and how they gave him his powers.

That meant, Barry has it written down. As brilliant as he is, Wally was pretty sure even Barry couldn't remember every detail of what gave him super speed. For as long as Wally could remember, he had admired Flash and wanted to be just like him. Although even he knew what little chance that was, he still hoped for it. Now that he knew the Flash was his uncle, his dreams seemed so much closer.

Wally, as quietly as possible, searched Barry's desk for anything. His eyes stopped at a journal inside the drawers. Bingo. He opened the journal and flipped through the pages, until he found a little post-it note holding a page. The post-it was bright red with a little yellow lightning bolt doodled on it.

"Jackpot." Wally murmured to himself, flipping to the page and scanning through it. His heart lifted as he recognized that several of the ingredients would be easily attainable. He copied every word and drawing into an empty notebook he found, and ripped out the copied notes. He carefully folded the paper and stuffed it in his overnight bag. He was going home the day after tomorrow, and he needed the ingredients tomorrow night.

Wally yawned silently to himself and curled into his bed, falling asleep quickly.

* * *

**Central City, March 19th 2006, 10:13 p.m.**

The next night, when he was positive both Iris and Barry were asleep, Wally once again snuck out to Barry's study. There were so many different bottles of the same chemical. Wally was sure Barry wouldn't notice if a couple things were missing.

Wally slipped the little, labeled bottles into his overnight bag and checked to make sure he had the right ones. After double checking, and triple checking, he went back to bed, stomach flipping happily. He was going to be just like the Flash, he promised himself before falling asleep.

The next day, Rudolph came and picked Wally up.

"Bye Aunt Iris! Bye Uncle Barry!" Wally chirped, hugging both of them tightly.

Rudolph smiled at his sister and brother-in-law before slinging Wally's bag over his shoulder. "Geez, Wally, what do you have in here, rocks?" his father asked jokingly.

Wally hid a smile, 'No,' he thought, 'just a few chemicals to give me super speed.'

On the ride home, Rudolph looked at his son through the mirror with slight amusement. "What's got you jumpy, Wally?"

Wally grinned, "Nothing." he sang.

Rudolph chuckled slightly, "Alright. Just make sure you shut the windows tonight. I hear there's a storm coming."

Wally's ears pricked up and his eyes widened. "What? Like, with thunder and lightning?"

"Yes," He raised an eyebrow through the mirror, "You're not scared, are you Walls?"

Wally puffed up, "Of course not!"

Later that night, when Rudolph had gone to bed early, Wally began placing the chemicals in the right order. He had to be precise if he wanted this to work. He opened his window wide, praying it worked. He looked up at the raining night. Suddenly, there was a flash of light.

Excruciating pain filled Wally to the core. The feeling of being electrocuted hurt, Wally knew that. But being electrocuted with the chemicals probably made it ten times worse.

"WALLY!" was the last thing he heard before fading away into the black sea that took him over.

* * *

**Central City Hospital, March 21st 2006, 6:45 p.m.**

When Wally came back to the land of the living, every muscle in his body was sore. It didn't hurt, like it probably should have, but it was sore.

"Waaaaallllyyyyy arrrreee yyooooouuuuu okkkaaaaay?" Rudolph asked worriedly. Wally blinked, not quite understanding his father.

"What?" he mumbled.

"Wally do you know that you could have been killed!" Barry was there too, looking extremely angry and guilty at the same time. Iris and Rudolph looked at him, confused. But Wally understood perfectly.

"I know you're the Flash, and I wanted to be just like you." Wally explained, and got a good look at his surroundings. Iris, Barry, and Rudolph were sitting in a hospital room. The Doctors had connected him to an IV, which to Wally seemed unnecessary. He felt fine. If anything, he felt better.

He hoped that was a good sign.

"Whaaaaaat diiiiiid heeeeeeee saaaay?" Rudolph asked Iris. She looked just as confused as he did.

Barry said something extremely slow, something Wally could barely understand. But it made Rudolph's eyes widen with shock, and Iris' to look terrified.

"Wally, I need you to talk extremely slowly." Barry told Wally. His eyes suddenly lit up.

"Itworkeddidn'tit!Ihavesuperspeedjustlikeyou!Omigo dsit'ssocoolthat'swhyIcan'tunderstandthem!Isthisho wyouheareveryone? **It worked didn't it! I have super speed jut like you! Omigods it's so cool that's why I can't understand them! Is this how you hear everyone?**" Wally speedtalked excitedly, doing the exact opposite of what Barry asked.

"Slow down, kid." Barry sighed, running a hand through his hair. He turned to his wife and brother-in-law. "Can I talk to the kid in private?" he asked, very slowly in Wally's point of view.

Rudolph hesitated, but nodded before walking out of the door and into the waiting area, followed by his sister.

"Great!IcanbecomeyoursidekicknowthatIhavepowers!It 'llbesocool!I'llbeKidFlash!Fastestboyaliveandevenf asterthanRoadrunner! **Great! I can become your sidekick now that I have powers! It'll be so cool! I'll be Kid Flash! Fastest boy alive and even faster than Roadrunner!**" Wally beamed.

Barry's blue eyes widened. "NO! No way, kid!"

Wally's eyes turned downcast. "Whynot? **Why not?**"

"Wally, you're just a kid! Do you know what the police will say about this? You know that little experiment could've gotten you killed!" Barry shouted. Wally looked down.

"I just wanted to be like the Flash. He - you - are my favorite hero." The excitement had finally worn off, and his speech slowed down considerably.

"A lot of kids like me, Wally, but not all of them risk blowing up themselves and their homes to be like me." Barry exclaimed. "There is no way on heaven or Earth will you become my sidekick! The experiment was bad enough, but what possessed you to think I'd let you come with me to beat up bad guys?"

Before Wally could reply, a nurse came in. "He should be fine. If anything, his heartrate is faster than normal. No surprise, considering he's just been struck by lightning. Wally, your metabolism will be slightly difficult to control, just keep eating, okay?"

Wally nodded, a little more glum then usual. The doctors declared Wally ready to leave, and Rudolph signed his son out of the hospital. The car ride home was deafeningly silent. Wally couldn't tell if his father was scared or furious.

That night, before Wally went to sleep, Rudolph stepped into the room. "Wally?"

Wally looked at his father, hoping for a little bit of support in the whole superpower thing. He had practically cleaned out their fridge for dinner and dessert that night. Rudolph could only stare at his son in shock as he finished his fifth plate of mashed potatoes.

"Wally, you know you did a stupid thing, right?"

"No. You always told me I could be anything I wanted to be. I want to be a hero, like Flash and Batman and Green Arrow." Wally sulked in his bed.

"Look Wally... there's no easy way to say this, but I think we need some time out of Central." Rudolph sighed. Wally's head snapped towards him.

"What?"

"Wally-"

"Why? Your job is here! The Flash is here! Uncle Barry will show me how to control my powers-"

"No!" Wally shut his mouth. He had never heard such firmness in his father's voice before. Rudolph looked at him. "I know a doctor in Keystone. He can get rid of the super speed. Keystone isn't too far away, you might still be able to see your aunt and uncle occasionally."

"Like what? Every Christmas and birthday?" Wally demanded angrily, "My friends are all here! Hartley, James, Linda! I'm not leaving Central!"

"You'll find new friends-"

"Dad, you know kids don't like me!"

"Wallace Rudolph West! We are moving to Keystone City next weekend, that's final. I'd recommend you start packing tomorrow." His father stormed out and slammed the door.

Wally sat in the dark for hours that night, thinking angrily. He didn't want to leave, but his father hated him. His aunt probably did too. And his uncle - his hero - especially did. If he and his father went away, his dream of being a hero would be long gone.

Wally sat up abruptly. He could leave. He could become a hero on his own account. A smile grew on his face for the first time in hours. He'd train and practice his powers himself. It would be harder without Barry, but he had done it without a mentor, right? What was stopping Wally from doing the same?"

Wally quietly slipped out of bed and stuffed his things into a bag. He snuck into the bathroom, packing a toothbrush and toothpaste. He slung the red backpack with a lightning bolt on it over his back and climbed out his window. It was times like these he was glad he lived in a one story house. Wally took one last look at his house and disappeared in a streak of red and yellow.

* * *

**Gotham, March 22nd 2006, 3:23 a.m.**

It wasn't until Wally reached water that he skidded to a stop. He nearly fell right into Gotham docks, but luckily managed to stop himself before he fell in. Wally was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Not to mention he was starving.

Wally groaned, unable to run anymore. He trudged down the streets of the city and found an old abandoned building, and crashed right in the lobby. He didn't wake up until noon that same day. His stomach rumbled even louder. Wally pushed himself to stand up and picked up his bag, snacking on a granola bar he had packed. But energy bars and water bottles will only last so long.

He stood up and walked outside the building. Wally strolled down the street, putting his hood up. He's heard Iris report about Gotham on the news. It sounded scarily exciting to him. And from the sounds of it, kids alone in the streets didn't seem uncommon.

Wally passed a street market. Vendors sold fresh fruit for twenty five cents an apple. Wally didn't like stealing, but he figured this was the only way. Pulling on his backpack strap tightly, he ran as fast as he could towards an apple stand and plucked a single apple off the cart. The man didn't even notice.

Heart pounding, he raced into a dark alley, breathing heavily. After the adrenaline wore off, a grin spread on the young ginger's face. He bit into the fresh apple happily and discarded it when he finished.

"Hey, you!" a young, female voice said.

Wally jumped, terrified as he prepared to run... right into a boy.

"Oof!" The two both tumbled on the ground.

"Ouch, sorry!" Wally squeaked.

"Dick! Are you two okay?" A young, ebony haired girl knelt down near them.

"I'm fine, Ari." Dick muttered.

"I thought we were going by code names." a Hispanic boy looked at them confused.

"Oops."

"Are you alright?" Ari asked nervously, helping Wally stand.

"I'm okay." Wally replied, though he knew his knees were a bit scratched up.

"We saw you steal from the vendor." The girl who had shouted at him said. He had blonde hair and smoky grey eyes.

"Are-are you going to tell on me?" Wally asked nervously, shifting on his feet.

"No, we do the same." Dick laughed. "Don't worry. Do you need a Band-Aid?"

Ari reached into her backpack and pulled out a mini first-aid kit. "Sit down." She told him.

Wally, deciding to trust them, sat on the ground with his legs straight out. Ari sat next to him. "This might sting a bit." She warned, but began to gently disinfect the cuts. Wally bit his lip and winced slightly. They did sting.

"Here." Ari smiled at him and bandaged his knees up. She helped him stand again.

"Thanks." Wally grinned at her, feeling better. He could trust these kids.

"How did you do it?" the Hispanic boy asked, curiously.

"Do what?" Wally feigned innocence.

"You know what I mean. How did you steal it without anyone else noticing?"

"How did you notice if no one else did?" Wally countered. This time, the boy looked nervous.

"Uh, I'll tell you after you tell me." he bargained.

"As much as I love making new friends in dark alleyways," The blonde haired girl said, "We should leave."

Wally followed the four into a building, taking the stairs to the top floor. On the way, he learned the Hispanic boy was Jaime and the blonde was Artemis. They had all met at a Detention Center that none of them belonged to be in.

As they sat in the bedroom they all shared, Wally began to tell them how he had gained his super powers.

"Your uncle is the Flash?" Ari asked excitedly. "That's so cool!" he exclaimed.

"But he didn't train you?" Jaime asked, frowning. "That's dangerous. Your powers are untrained, you don't know how to use them!"

Artemis scoffed. "You should be talking, Jaime."

Wally looked at her, confused. "Am I missing something?"

Jaime frowned, and launched into his story of his little 'buggy problem'. Wally listened, fascinated. "There much me so much tech in something like that! It has it's own inorganic mind-"

"Like Red Tornado?" Dick asked.

"Kind of. Only this 'Khaji' needs a host, where as Red Tornado can function without a host by himself." Wally explained, to the best of his ability.

"Wow, Wally, you're smart." Ari's bright blue-green eyes were wide. Jaime glanced at her.

"Not really, Uncle Barry told me a lot about heroes- and science. I guess now I know how he knew everything." Wally frowned slightly.

They were talking for so long, they didn't even realize it was past dinner time until Wally's stomach grumbled. Everyone looked at him with raised eyebrows. He blushed, and laughed slightly. "Now I know why Uncle Barry eats so much."

"Running that fast must take a lot of energy." Ari noted, while handing him a banana.

Wally munched on the fruit while nodding.

"You can stay with us, if you'd like." Dick offered, having taken a liking to Wally, "There's plenty of extra beds. We're a family."

"Family." Wally smiled, "I'd like that.

* * *

**Okay guys, I know I said I already have OC's for my story. But I'm in need of a few oc's. Preferrably young, like, 6-12 years old maybe, and preferably metas. Since I'm not putting in the batkids in the rewrite (For now, anyways ;), I still need something in Africa. I decided I'd move a few teams around, and put the training center in the Actic (cuz the cold is awesome like that) Therefore, I need a few younger kids to be apart of the training program, and I also need a few older kids (15-18) to be running the program. Please fill out this form:**

** Name:**

** Code Name:**

** Age (6-12) or (15-18):**

** Gender:**

** Powers:**

** Costume:**

** Abilities/Weapons:**

** Past (Details are you best friend!):**

** Personality:**

** Reason to join the training program:**

** Appearance:**

**Power Origin:**

**How they met the Titans:**

** Other:**

** I might forget something and I might ask you questions on your character as well, therefore I may PM questions to you. If you're a guest, _PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE _make sure you put in as many details possible, because I will not be able to contact you for questions and will therefore be unable to use your character, which I really want to use!**

**Also, I know making girl Oc's are fun, but I need a few guys please!**

**I realized there's a slight problem with same names, so go to my author's page to see which names are taken. Thank you!**

* * *

**For my guest reviewer, JaneTheHugger, I'm afraid I already have both a Mystic and a Shadow. If you can change their names, that'd be great. And twins can be accepted.**


	5. Roy Harper

**As you can clearly see, I might be taking my time with my stories now. I have to try to remember everything that was on my flash drive, not to mention school has started up. DAMN SCHOOL! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own YJ or TT... I wish I did though...**

* * *

**Star City Archery Range, Star City, March 30 2003**

Roy needed money, and fast. He's been living on the streets since Brave Bow died, and he wasn't faring well without money. He couldn't resort to stealing, it felt wrong to go against the beliefs of Brave Bow and his deceased parents. That's when he heard there was an archery tournament in Star City Park, he had a feeling it was a jackpot.

When he got there, he ignored the laughs aimed at him. The man in charge just shook his head, an allowed Roy to compete, since there was no age limit listed, he had to. A man with blonde hair and a goatee stood beside Roy. He leaned down and whispered, "Ignore them."

Roy hid a smile. "Trust me, I am."

The man smirked, hiding a laugh. The man shot a perfect, his arrow landing right in the center of the target. Roy was last in line, and when it was his turn to shoot, he readied his bow, eyes narrowed and was about to notch his arrow, but he never did.

"The bow is rigged." Roy said flatly, no doubt about it.

"What do you mean?" the man beside him asked confusedly.

"The string is set too tight. It'll snap as soon as I notch my arrow." Roy said.

"Who would try to-"

"He's the one who gave me the bow." Roy pointed at the man running the program.

"That's Floyd Lawton." The blonde haired man frowned. "He boasts about his aim all the time. Never lost any of his own tournaments."

"I insist on a new bow." Roy announced. Lawton growled in frustration and gave him another bow. Roy tested this one out, and decided it was fine. He notched the arrow, and took careful aim, then hit his directly on the target. A shocked silence hung in the air, before a loud applause.

Roy passed all the matches against the adults, and he made it to the finals against Lawton and the blonde haired man, whom Roy found out was Oliver Queen.

Oliver's arrow hit dead center, as well as Lawton's. Roy narrowed his eyes, then walked to Oliver's target. He aimed and fired, and to everyone's surprise, he split the billionaire's arrow. He repeated it with Lawton's, and it was an almost perfect split.

The crowd cheered and applauded. Lawton suddenly shot an arrow into the crowd. It hit one man in the chest, killing him instantly. Panic arose in the air, people started screaming and running. Lawton was shooting pointed arrows everywhere, never missing his target. Roy was frozen in shock. The kid had never seen so much death and blood.

Roy's instincts told him to hit the ground, which he did, and it saved his life. An arrow hit a tree just where he once was. He scrambled to his feet and tried to find his way out of the crowd. But people were pushing and shoving each other, including Roy. He was shoved to the ground and trampled a couple times. Lawton slowly made his way to Roy, notching an arrow and pointing it downwards to him.

All of a sudden, a green colored arrow hit Lawton and rope wrapped itself around the killer. He shouted in fury, and fell to his feet. Roy looked up in shock to see Green Arrow, hero to Star City. What shocked him more was that he got a closer look at the green archer, and found a familiar looking goatee...

Holy crap! Green Arrow was Oliver Queen! Roy felt his jaw go slack as the archer approached him. Why didn't anyone else notice? There were some dumb people out there.

"Hey kid, you okay?" He asked. His voice was definitely like Queen's. Roy shook himself.

"Uhh, yeah. I'm fine, guess I'm just shaken." Roy replied shakily.

"You're the one who won the contest?" Green Arrow asked suddenly.

"Yeah, that guy is nuts," Roy said weakly.

"His real name is Deadshot, a paid mercenary. One of the worst assassins in the world."

"The name suits him," Roy noted.

"I agree, anyways. Where are your parents kid?"

Roy's demeanor changed. He glared at Arrow. "None of your business!" He snapped.

Arrow seemed taken aback. "Oh, I'm sorry, err, what's your name?"

"Roy," He answered cautiously. "My parents are dead." He said bluntly.

Green Arrow froze. "Roy, don't move." He said suddenly. Roy stiffened.

"What why?" Roy craned his neck to see Deadshot pointing an arrow to his back. Oh. That was why. Roy cursed himself for forgetting about the mass murderer barely restrained behind him.

"Leave the kid alone," Green Arrow ordered calmly.

"Drop the bow then," Deadshot ordered. Roy rapidly shook his head no. Green Arrow ignored this, and dropped his bow to the ground. Deadshot picked it up, still keeping his crossbow trained on Roy.

"Now, leave. Him. Alone." Green Arrow growled out. Roy was frozen in terror.

"I don't think so-" Deadshot started.

Roy kicked backwards and hit Deadshot's chest, causing him to grunt in surprise. He loosened his grip on Green Arrow's bow, allowing Roy to grab it. Roy shot a net arrow, capturing Deadshot effectively.

Green Arrow stared at Roy in a new light. "Listen kid, you don't have any place to go, right? I have an idea."

About a week later, Oliver Queen adopted Roy. Green Arrow had a sidekick, Speedy.

Both events were merely coincidental, however.

While tracking down Icicle Jr. to Gotham, Green Arrow and Speedy had a run in with the Bat, who was more than annoyed at having them in his city.

Batman eventually agreed to help them catch the ice villain, and it turned out he was working with Mr. Freeze, one of Batman's own rogues. Green Arrow, deciding to be overprotective, left Roy at Wayne Manor, much to his irritation.

Roy decided to patrol Gotham. He might as well, he had nothing better to do. And he was fairly certain he wouldn't run into Batman or Green Arrow, both of whom would surely kick his ass if they knew he patrolled Gotham of all places.

This leads him to where he is now. Chasing a hooded figure on the rooftops who he had seen pickpocket several wealthy men in a row. When he was finally close enough, Roy notched a net arrow and fired. The arrow released a net, capturing the figure and causing them to fall.

"Gotcha." Roy grinned triumphetly, pulling down the figure's hood. To his surprise, it was a young girl, who couldn't have been older than seven.

The girl glared up at him. "Yes?"

Roy could only stare, gobsmacked, at the kid. When he finally found words, all he could stammer out was, "Y-you're like six!"

The girl looked incredibly insulted. "I'm nine, thank you very much." She frowned, scowling slightly despite not looking very scary at all.

"You sure?" Roy asked doubtfully. He was met by a pretty intense glare, especially for only a nine year old.

"Yes, I remember the day I was born." she deadpanned, struggling against the net. "Hmph, I always thought I'd be caught by a police officer, not a Robin Hood impersonator."

"Hey, in my defense, I didn't choose the outfit!" Roy complained. The girl giggled softly.

"Right. You look worse than- ohhhhhh." Realization dawned on her face. "You're that new guy! Speedy, right? What's up with that name?"

"Again, I didn't choose it."

"You should have said something." She said. "By the way, mind cutting me free?"

"You were stealing-"

"And what? You'll send me to jail?" The girl raised an eyebrow. Roy had to admit it was a bit farfetched. The cops in Star still barely trust him. He didn't think the Gotham police would be any friendlier. "Let me give you a piece of information. This is Gotham, home of the hopeless. Don't be too surprised to see other orphans running around and stealing would they can."

Roy realized the girl had released something important about herself. "You're an orphan?"

The girl narrowed her eyes, seeming to be mentally berating herself. "Yes. It's not uncommon here; it's a miracle I can speak English."

Roy frowned. "You're on the streets by yourself?"

The girl seemed to hesitate. "...No. I have a cousin, who's basically a brother to me, and three new friends.

Roy's eyes narrowed. He didn't like the thought of a couple of kids living on the streets. "Where do you live?"

The girl glared at him again. "My parents told me not to talk to strangers."

"But I'm not a stranger. I'm a hero."

"Sidekick." she practically sang. Roy's eye twitched.

"I am not a- you know what, getting off topic. I'm gonna get you some help, alright?"

"Yeah, I'll believe that." She practically scoffed, stepping near the edge of the roof.

"I promise, kid." He ruffled her hair, earning an annoyed look. But her gaze softened.

"Sure you will." She stood on the ledge. "Seeya 'round Roy." she jumped off the edge. Roy sped to the edge to see if she was okay, but breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the girl had simply jumped onto the fire escape and was already nearly all the way down. He wouldn't be able to catch up to her even if he wanted to.

It didn't occur to Roy until later that night that he had never learned the girl's name, or that she had never learned his. Or he had never gotten the money she had stolen back.

* * *

**Okay guys, I know I said I already have OC's for my story. But I'm in need of a few oc's. Preferrably young, like, 6-12 years old maybe, and preferably metas. Since I'm not putting in the batkids in the rewrite (For now, anyways ;), I still need something in Africa. I decided I'd move a few teams around, and put the training center in the Actic (cuz the cold is awesome like that) Therefore, I need a few younger kids to be apart of the training program, and I also need a few older kids (15-18) to be running the program. Please fill out this form:**

** Name:**

** Code Name:**

** Age (6-12) or (15-18):**

** Gender:**

** Powers:**

** Costume:**

** Abilities/Weapons:**

** Past (Details are you best friend!):**

** Personality:**

** Reason to join the training program:**

** Appearance:**

**Power Origin:**

**How they met the Titans:**

** Other:**

** I might forget something and I might ask you questions on your character as well, therefore I may PM questions to you. If you're a guest, _PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE _make sure you put in as many details possible, because I will not be able to contact you for questions and will therefore be unable to use your character, which I really want to use!**

**Also, I know making girl Oc's are fun, but I need a few guys please!**

**I realized there's a slight problem with same names, so go to my author's page to see which names are taken. Thank you!**

* * *

**For my guest reviewer, JaneTheHugger, I'm afraid I already have both a Mystic and a Shadow. If you can change their names, that'd be great. And twins can be accepted.**


	6. Bart Allen

**Okay, I got a pretty decently quick update... hopefully... I dunno. Btw, SYOC is officially closed after this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own YJ or TT... I wish I did though...**

* * *

**Happy Harbor, February 28th, 2056, 1050 p.m. EST**

Many people say the future is bight, but it's not. Quite the opposite really. it hasn't been 'bright' since Lord Chaos and the Blue Beetle reigned power.

Metas were all hunted down and collared, used as slaves. Well, the lucky ones anyways. The others... well, no one really knew what happened to them, because they disappeared off the face of the planet. Most metas, unfortunate, were children who couldn't even control their powers. The ones who turned eighteen disappeared, and none of them had happy childhoods.

Twin metas, Jon and Carrie Levine, were born with their meta abilities after their pregnant mother had been exposed to radiation while working in the lab. When most families with metas went underground, so did they. Unfortunately, most of the families were killed and their children captured. John and Carrie were the luckier ones; their parents distracted Chaos' servants and soldiers, buying the wins time to escape.

Another girl, Miriam, was abandoned as a baby by her parents, Brandon and Isabel Delgado. As many younger parents did, they feared their own lives would be endangered when the tyrants came to power for harboring a meta child with the power to project images. Miriam, abandoned at age three, was captured not even a few months after wards. She had no time to train her powers and grew up with the inhibitor collar as basicially an extension of herself.

Alexaner Lyons was one of the few older ones who could remember a time when Chaos and Blue Beetle didn't rule supreme. He was a teenager who was a prodigy at the piano, and continued to play even after they outlawed music. Unfortunately, he paid a heavy price. Chaos destroyed his entire family and took his to his labs, where his Reach scientists experimented with his DNA.

In the end, however, the project failed and he was turned into a lion mutant. He was collared and enslaved at the early age of 13.

David Dagon was nearly killed in a car accident with his parents when he was four. Somehow, he survived, only to be placed in a coma for more than ten years. When he did wake up, it was to a whole new life. He was fourteen and missed a majority of his childhood. he had no parents, Blue Beetle and Chaos ruled Earth, and worst of all, they had experimented on him. As soon as he woke up, his vampire-like powers immediately showed through, and his powers were inhibited.

Finally but certainly not least, there was Bartholomew Don Allen. He was the only know descendent of the famous Barry Allen, or better known as the Flash, not to mention he was the first cousin once removed to the third Flash, Wally West. He, as far as he knew, was the only living meta of direct descendent from former metas or heroes. But he was alone. His parents and family were long gone.

Then, there was a fateful day. The day when a meta was able to escape captivity.

When Bart Allen was little, the only person he had was Wally. His parents were already gone, and Wally was his last relations. Chaos didn't even both to kill him, knowing he'd die soon of old age or malnutrition eventually. Even for a speedster, Wally was old. Nearly sixty year old at this point and heavily malnourished, Wally was weak and old.

Bart was barely a toddler. His powers hadn't even managed to kick in yet. But he always begged Wally to tell him stories, and asked him what would happen if his collar ever were to come off. Wally, his green eyes dark and dull and devoid of any hope, would always say that would never happen. But if it were, he would run as fast and as far away as he possibly could, and never, ever, look back.

Even after Wally died, despite being extremely young, Bart remembered his words. So everyday, he checked his collar inhibitor to see if some miracle had happened and he might have even the slightest chance to escape. One day, it happened.

It was a hurricane, eventually escalating into a tornado and a series of earthquakes and aftershocks. They weren't usually found in New England, and no one ever thought to have many failsafes for the prison if something like this were to happen.

But despite every contingency plan they had, every back up generator for the back up generator, every future, human, magical, and alien tech, Chaos and Blue Beetle would never be able to control the weather.

So when what seemed the like end of the world hit, it knocked out EVERY power line in the state. Even, and especially, where the metas were imprisoned. It was the middle of the night, so everyone was in their cells.

Bart was still up, unable to sleep. His arms were sore and tired, but he couldn't fall asleep. He gingerly touched his collar, wincing as he expected the familiar shock. But it never came. Bart shot up straight from bed and gripped the collar completely, still not feeling any shocks.

He felt his heart pump and his adrenaline begin to race. His grip tightened and he felt his hand begin vibrating. His heart raced faster. '_Calm down,_' he told himself, breathing deeply. Losing control would probably be the worst possible to thing to happen at the moment.

Bart gasped as the collar fell off his neck, completely harmless now. He gingerly touched the wall, and felt the comforting feeling of vibration. The vibration continued through his arms and torso, until his entire body was vibrating and he was through the walls and out of the prison.

He had never felt anything like the adrenaline rush. It was indescribable, feeling that you could go this fast. The more reasonable part of his mind recalled Wally telling him that he'd eventually get hungry after running a lot.

Bart laughed for the first time in nearly ten years. It was overjoying, overwhelming, how fast he could go. He could escape and never come back. No one would ever see him again - but what about his friends? The friends that would never see him again. The friends that helped him get through a day of harsh labor. The friends that were still locked up in the disease-infected prison.

Bart had an idea. It was extremely risky, and there was a major chance he'd be captured again, or worse. Then he'd have gotten a taste of freedom for nothing. Finally, he decided it would be worth the risk. And no one would be able to catch him. He was too fast, so even if his plan failed, he could always flee and find a different way to help them.

He ran into the small, nearly abandoned town of Happy Harbor (which, ironically, wasn't very happy anymore) to find shelter for the night through the storm. The next morning, after Chaos' famous temper broke through and he had a huge tantrum at the news of Bart's escape, Bart vibrated back into the hell hole.

He entered the control room, punching the guard square in the face. "Ow." Bart muttered to himself, rubbing his fist. In a second flat, he knocked out the other two guards before locking the doors to the control room.

Bart grinned with triumph and sat himself at the controls. He pushed a random button, and turned the collars from his hallway off. He looked at the buttons more nervously, wishing they came with instructions. One of the buttons could sound the alarm, or blow them all up for all he knew. He suddenly sensed someone behind him.

Bart barely dodged a shot from a guard that had awakened. The guard opened the door to let his buddies in. Bart ran around the group in circles, speeding up and sucking the oxygen out of them until they collapsed to the ground. Bart stopped, looked at the security cameras, and cursed himself mentally before running to the wing he had unlocked.

The sirens were going off. Everyone knew he was here, and Chaos and Blue Beetle would be here soon. He couldn't save the others; they'd have to wait for some other time.

He skidded to a stop and opened the four cell doors to Miriam, David, Carrie, Jon, and Alex. Breathlessly, He grabbed onto all of them and ran them half way across the state. When he finally stopped, Bart was panting heavily as yellow spots danced before his eyes. The five of them stared at Bart with absolute shock.

"Totally... feeling... the mode..." Bart groaned, trying and failing to catch his breath. He was practically starving at this point.

"Bart, that was-" Miriam began, adjusting her white cloak.

"Awesome." Alex grinned.

"Terrifying!" Carrie corrected hysterically, her red wings flapping nervously.

Once Bart got his energy back, he explained how he had escaped, as well as his plan to stop Chaos and Blue Beetle.

"Your plan is a little easier said than done." David said, brushing off his leather jacket.

"Which is why Jon over here is so crash." Bart grinned up at his much taller friend. "He is VITAL to out mission."

"As it seems, it is the only thing we can do." Miriam hesitantly agreed. "They know we're out there. They'll probably put out some sort of bounty on us. We are currently public enemy numbers 1-6."

"They would have tightened security around the other metas." Jon added.

"That's why my plan can get Blue Beetle and Chaos out of office before they even think about it." Bart explained.

"How do you even know how they came to power?" Alex asked. "We can't exactly walk into a library and search up the history of our world's current dictators."

"Actually," Bart spoke up, "That won't be necessary. My cousin Wally told me that Beetle used to be a friend of his, a teammate even, before he turned on humanity for some reason and killed his girlfriend and teammates-"

"What pleasant bedtime story." David remarked, his voice cool.

"My cousin was lucky, and was only captured by Beetle's ally, Chaos. He told me that Chaos was once Robert Long, who was abused by his meta father until social services got to him. Unfortunately, that was sixteen years of abuse, and it doesn't subside very easily. With all that angst and anger in his childhood, it's no wonder he turned out the way he is, not to mention his hatred of metas."

"Are you justifying his actions?" David demanded.

Bart glared at him. "Of course not! I'm just saying if we can prevent the abuse, we prevent the slavery and deaths of hundreds of metas.'

"And how exactly do we do that? Even if social services found him, orphanages are never exactly friendly."

"Unless his mother can take care of him." Bart replied, a small smile on his face.

"We could always just kill him." Alex muttered. Bart whipped his head to turn to his friend, and narrowed his eyes in a glare.

"No, no way. No killing under ANY circumstances. My grandfather, great-grandfather, father, uncle, aunt, my entire FAMILY lived by the 'no killing' rule. I am not about to dishonor that." He glared at him, daring Alex to challenge him.

"Fine, only when necessary." Alex relented after a few minutes under the glare.

Bart narrowed his eyes, but he knew it'd be the best he'd get out of him. "You guys go to 2020. I need to go to 2006."

"2006?" Jon echoed, looking at him incredulously. "I know I've only just gotten my powers back, but I know how a chrono-machine works. You go back fifty years, and you can expect to be deaged about five years; if you're lucky."

"What's so important then you have to go there, anyways?" Miriam asked suspiciously.

"That's when the team first met. And if I can prevent Blue from turning on the human race, he wouldn't have met Chaos." Bart explained, and his eyes went slightly downcast. "Not to mention, my grandpa is meant to die in 2016, before he even knew his wife was pregnant. But you guys are going to 2020. It'll be too late to save him by that time. If I get to 2006, I can save both my grandpa and Blue Beetle while you guys prevent Chaos from ever being abused." He ran a hand through his messy brown hair.

"it sounds a bit risky, Bart. How did he die anyways? And how do you know you'll even live for another ten years?"

"I'm gonna have to." he said, grimly. "And to answer your other question, it was Neutron. He let out an energy blast so large and fast, even the Flash couldn't outrun it. It took the entire Justice League to incapacitate him, and even then they didn't have the technology to stop him."

"Look, Bart, I've done my own fair share of research on chronology." David said. "And I know for a fact that while you are able to go back in time, there is no way to go forward."

"If we don't go, there won't be a future worth returning to."

* * *

"Remember, don't tell anyone that we're coming in 2020. It may completely mess with the time stream, then we'd all be feeling the mode." Jon instructed sternly.

"Got it, Prestor." Bart grinned at them.

"I'll see you." Carrie smiled at him.

"I hope." He replied, waving. Alex, now known as Battalion, nodded at Bart with grudging respect before entering the machine. Miriam, now Mirage, climbed in after him after hugging Bart tightly. Carrie, or Redwing, carefully folded her wings and crawled into the machine. David, just Dagon now, caught Bart's eyes for a split second, almost as if saying a silent goodbye before following the others. Prestor shook Bart's hand, giving him an encouraging smile.

"Good luck."

"Thanks, I'll need it." Bart chuckled. He watched as the others disappeared in a flash of light. He stared at the spot for a few seconds, before shaking his head and kneeling down to work on his own machine.

"How's it coming?"

Bart didn't look behind him. He knew who it was, and why they were here.

"Almost finished." He replied, adjusting his fingerless gloves.

"I wish I could come along."

"Sorry, this one only sits one." Bart sighed slightly, looking behind him.

"You understand that the trip to the past will fry the machine's circuitry. it's a one way ticket."

Bart turned back, and jabbed a thumb at the dark, barren place. "Does **this** look like a future worth returning to?" Bart made a final adjustment to the machine before standing up.

"Well, I better get into character... Neutron." The man looked greatly pained at this.

"Please! Don't use that name! I was Neutron for too many years. Too much destruction," The bald man clad in orange prison jumpsuit and an inhibitor collar bowed his head mournfully.

Bart zoomed off and reappeared clad in white and red spandex. He had large, yellow goggles on his head. Bart looked up at the older man. Neutron reached into his prison uniform and pulled out a blue marble, or so it looked, and handed it to Bart.

"Helping Blue Beetle, not to mention curing me and saving Flash's life, you know, is only the beginning." He said quietly.

"I know, Nathaniel. Big mission. Lot's to do." Bart placed the 'marble' in a compartment of his forearm. "Better get to it." He pulled the goggles over his eyes.

"Wait." Bart looked back at the former Neutron.

"How do you know you'll live to save Flash? How do you know your friends will be able to stop Robert Long before he rises to power?"

Bart stared up in Nathaniel's eyes and simply said, "Because we'll be fighting alongside other Titans."

Nathaniel gave a half smile. Bart nodded at him and, without a second thought, hopped into the time machine. It stirred and hummed. Wind picked up speed and there was a blast of blue light. Neutron shielded his eyes, and when he opened them again, he saw the changes in himself.

He stared at himself in wonder. The prison clothes were gone, replaced by a flannel shirt and casual pair of jeans. There was no inhibitor collar. No scars. He looked... normal.

"That kid is so _crash_!" He exclaimed, positively beaming as he examined himself. "He did it! They did it! It's a new-" Nathaniel suddenly looked around himself. But nothing other than himself had changed. Soot still hung in the dark air. Hope seemed nonexistent, and the place where Mount Justice once stood, tall and proud, was still barren.

"-day?" He murmured, looking around with a horrified expression. "No... the time stream... it should have all changed. All at once."

Nathaniel fell to his knees, staring at the dark are with a solemn expression.


End file.
